Life jacket dye marker



April 1, 194?. R, COLLYER ETA; 2,418,397l

LIFE JACKET DYE MARKER Filed March 15, 1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 ATTORN EY Patented Apr. 1, 1947 LIFE JACKET DYE MARKER Robert Collyer, Chatham, and Allan B. Clow,

Plainfield, N. J.,

assignors to American Cyanamd Company, New York, N. Y., a.corpo ration of Maine Application March 15, 1944, serial No. 526,638 claims. 01. 20c- 0.5i

This invention relates to dye-markers adapted for use in conjunction with life jackets, life belts and the like. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved type of dye-marker whereby an isolated survivor'aoat at sea. in a life jacket may attract. the attention of passing aircraft and thereby greatly enhance his chances of being seen and rescued.

Of the many hazards connected with transport over water, either by air or surface craft, one of the most difficult to overcome is that of the individual survivor of a disaster. Modern life jackets enable him to keep afloat quite easily, even -for extended periods. The principal difficulty is not to keep aoat but to attract the attention of a rescue party.

Because they can quickly cover large areas, use of aircraft in searching has greatly increased the chance of being seen and rescued. However, even a life raft or boat is sufficiently difficult to see from the air so that a pilot may fly over them several times before they are noticed. When this is considered, the problem of spotting an object the size of a mans head may be fully appreciated.V Actual tests show that a man in a life jacket is almost invisible from only a few hundred feet away on a clear day. Even a slight haze cuts down this short distance.

Boats or rafts may be equipped with various signal means such as lights, ags and even radio to assist rescue craft in locating them. In this way spotting and rescue may be greatly facilitated. Such means of attracting attention are too bulky to be available to an individual survivor who is dependent on the support of his life jacket. Nor has a wholly suitable means adapted to be carried on a life jacket and still perform the desired function been developed.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an effective signaling means whereby a survivor aoat in a life jacket may also readily attract the attention of a plane pilot to his position. A still further object is to provide such a means which will be simple in operation, operable even after a storage period of years, simple enough in construction to be adapted for production in large numbers, and capable of withstanding considerable rough handling. Further, the means must be one which is small in size, and light in weight so as not to interfere with the normal wearing and use of the life jacket.

In general all the principal objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing the life jacket with a means whereby a survivor in a life jacket may quickly color a large area of the surrounding water. Broadly, this means comprises a small, waterproof envelope or bag inside which is a quantity of water-soluble dye `in a water-permeable package resembling a tea bag. I'he dye package is fastened to the outer envelope by a length of fabric tape. The envelope is provided With an easily opened flap and is attached to the outside of the life jacket, life belt or other supporting means.

Operation of the dye marker is both simple and efficient. A survivor has only to pull the closure ap, thus allowing the dye-package to fall into the water. 'Ihe dye `quickly and readily dissolves and sets up a contrasting color in the surrounding water. Actual tests have shown that the man and jacket are almost indistinguishable at a few hundred feet from Va plane one hundred feet above the water. Only a few seconds after opening the envelope a brilliant contrasting circle of color forms. After one minute the circle is about forty feet in diameter and is visible from a distance of ten miles from a plane at ten thousand feet. 1

The invention will be more fully illustrated in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Y Figure 1 shows an elevation in perspective of one type of dye marker with the envelope closed;

Figure 2 shows an elevation in perspective of the same marker with the flap open and the dyepackage exposed;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the same type of package; along 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an elevation in perspective of a diiferent type with the flap closed;

Figure 5 is another view of the same package with the flap open; and

Figure 6 is a crosssection through 6-6 of Figure 4, showing a sealing seam of the type of Figures 4 and 5.

In Vthe drawings, the dye marker of Figures 1-3 Vcomprises a tube l of waterproofed fab-ric, the

- ends of the tube being folded back to form upper and lower end seams 2 and 3. In order to insure watertight seams, the ends of the tube are ordinarily closed by a cementing layer 4 before being folded back. Folded into upper seam 2 is a fabric ribbon 5, used to fasten the marker to a life jacket and a fabric tape 6, the whole seam. being further strengthened Iby some suitable means such as rivets 1. Staples or some like fastening means may be substituted forrivets Tor the seam may be stitched if so desired' The lower front face of tube I has an opening 3 or mouth lli. This opening is ordinarily closed by a flap II having an extended pull tab I2 at one end thereof. Flap II is held over the opening by a ring lil of a non-hardening waterproof cement which has sufficient adhesive power to hold flap II in place but insufficient to prevent the opening being readily uncovered when tab I2 is pulled.

The dye package comprises an envelope IS made from a water-permeable sheet material and contains the water-soluble .dyestu The edges,

of envelope i6 may be closed in any desired manner, as by stitches I1 or if preferable by a suit-Ak ablel adhesive. Envelope I6 is attached toV one end of a fabric tape I8, the other end of the tape' being attached to tape 6 by stitches I9 or by any other suitable means. VIf preferred, tapes 6 and y I8 may comprise a unitary tape but for ease in assembly it is simpler to form the waterproof envelope and the dye package separately and then join them. The tapes are wrapped around the dye package and placed within the outer envelope before sealing flap II over opening Ill. A

in Figures 4, 5 and 6. A dye package I6, closed by staples 2U rather than stitches I'I, is atttached to one end of tape I8, the other end of the tape being worked into the bottom fold 28 of an envelope Z2. The outer envelope 22 is made from a flat sheet, approximately one-third the length of which comprises a backing 23. The middle third 24 of this sheet is folded over the backing f section to serve as the front of a pocket and the final third serves as a pull tab 25. If so desired for convenient assembly, the backing 23 may be a separate piece from the front and pull tab section. The pocket is' normally held closed by an annular strip 26 of adhesive, which, as in the case of the ring I4, has suflicient adhesion to form a watertight seal, but insuflicient tov prevent the fold. When made from a single strip of sheet material this seam may be eliminated if'so -desired, but is ordinarily useful since it imparts a certain amount of stiffness to the envelope, and it forms a convenient means of fastening in the tape. It is particularly useful when the pocket is constructed from two pieces, backing 23 being originally'separate from the front and tab. This type of dye marker is attached to the life jacket by cementing the backing layer 23 thereto.

It is believed that the operation of the dye markers is self-evident from the description and drawings. As was noted above, the survivor in the life jacket who wishes to call attention to his position has only to pull the opening tab, whereupon dye package I6 falls out of the outer envelope and the dye therein is dissolved in the surrounding water. The flexible connecting means I8 serves several useful purposes.- Primarily, it ,prevents the dye package from sinking before a sufficient amount of dye has beendissolved.` but also it insures the dye packagebelng retained close to the man in the life jacket in case he is being carried along by astrong current.

So far as the materials used are concerned, a wide latitude of choice is available. In the modications shown in the accompanying drawings, the waterproof envelope was made from a cotton fabric which had been waterproofed before fabrication by applying an outer moisture-proof coating such as a rubberrcement. a, flexible lacvquer, aresin :coating or the like as is shown at 2S in Figure 6. The invention, however, is not necessarily intended to be limited thereto. If so desired, .waterproofing may be done after fabrication or the envelope may be formed from a ma- :terial which is waterproofed by being impregnated yrather than coated. The envelope may also be made from some material such as a plastic or rubber sheet which in itself is impervious to moisture. .y

Adhesive strips I4 and 26 are preferably made from a pressure-sealable, non-hardening material. Various resin and/or rubber cements suitable for-the purpose are commercially available. They must, however, be as free as possible from any tendency to lose their adhesion at temperatures below about 150" F., to become eX- cessively hard o-rr brittle at temperatures. above about -50 F., and to become hard and brittle on ageing. On the other hand, permanent seams such as the bottom seam 28 in Figure 4 and seams '2 and 3 in Figure 3 were found to be'best made with a resinous cement which, under the influence of heat and/or pressure, forms a permanent bond between the fabric layers.

Similarly, the dye package I6 may be made from any suitable water-permeable sheet material such as a woven fabric or a high wetstrength, porous paper. The latter was used in developing the two types of marker shown in the drawings because it is more easily handled and forms a better container when the dyestuff is present in a powdered form. As was noted above,- the dye package may be closed by stitching, by stapling, or by the ruse of a suitable adhesive. It may conveniently be in the form of a bag, made on 'a conventional bag-forming machine. It was found that stitching or stapling isordinarily preferable sincev it provides an'V easy wayof permanently attaching the dye package to the eXible tape.

The nature of the dyestuff contained in the dye package may also be quite widely varied without departing from vthe scope of the present invention. The dyestuff should be one which is readily dissolved in water in order that the signali'ng' 'device may be sufliciently rapid in operation. vSince in daylight water ordinarily appears to be of either blue or green shades, a brilliant yellow dyestui was found to present the greatest contrast and to be visible for the greatest distance. y

One of the most suitable dyestuffs for the purpose was found to be Uranine. This dyestuif, inv addition-'to being a brilliant yellow, has the propverty of uorescingvery strongly when subjected tofthel influence of ultra-violet light. Ultraviolet light from the sun penetrates most atmospheric haze, even one thick enough tovery appreciably cutdown radiation. within thev visual range. Therefore, the fluorescent property of Uranine enables it to be seen for a much greater distancev than can manypther dyestuffs when the atmosphere contains :appreciable haze.

The invention, however, is not necessarily limited to theuse'cfAV any particular dyestuff." A numberof shades of yellow, red and orange dyestuffs maybe used or'may be blended witheach other to present distinctive colors in case it is desired to use a color recognition signal designating the survivor as being from a particular group of air or surface vessels. Other shades of dyestuffs may be used if so desired, but ordinarily do not furnish a suicient contrast with the color of the water surface to be particularly useful.

The dyestuff itself may be used as a powder or as a solid large piece. If desired, binders may be used and the dyestuif briquetted. When using briquettes or large pieces, containers for the dyestuifs may not be necessary. However, use of powdered dye and a porous package is ordinarily to be preferred. It insures the retention of all the dyestuff in the vicinity of the life jacket until dissolved and ordinarily more quickly produces a good dye concentration in the water.

It will be seen that from the foregoing description the essential features of the present invention are:

1. The provision of a exible waterproof outer covering;

2. An opening in the covering such that when the latter is held in an operating position; a dye package can fall out;

3 A ap which normally closes the opening by means of a waterproof but easily-separable adhesive;

4. A pull means to facilitate opening the closure flap;

5. A package of water-soluble dyestuif;

6. A exible means joining the dye package to the moisture proof covering when the latter is open; and

7. A means for attaching the outer covering to a life jacket or the like.

We claim: Y

1. A dye marker adapted to be attached to a life jacket o1' the like and comprising in combination a flexible waterproof covering, a dye package therein, said dye package comprising a water permeable envelope containing a watersoluble dye, a closure means adapted to hold the dye package within the covering, a waterproof adhesive seal adapted to hold the closure means in operative position, a full means adapted to facilitate opening of the closure means, and a flexible means joining the dye package to the waterproof covering when the latter is open.

2. A dye marker according to claim 1 characterized in that the outer, waterproof covering is formed from a strip of sheet material, approximately the center one-third being folded back over one end section, the peripheral portion of the middle section being sealed to the end section by a plastic, waterproof, non-setting adhesive, whereby a pocket adapted to hold the dye package is formed, the remainder of the strip comprising a pull means adapted to break the peripheral seal.

3. A dye marker adapted to be attached to a carrier, comprising in combination a flexible water proof sheet material forming a water impervious pocket, a dye package within the pocket and connected thereto by a tether, said dye package comprising a Water pervious envelope containing a water-soluble dye, said pocket having front and back Walls and being formed by securing together at their edges in a Water proof seal, two sheets of the waterproof material, pull-tab means secured to the front wall of the pocket whereby the front wall may be ripped open sufciently to free the package of dye.

4. A dye marker, adapted to be attached to a carrier, comprising the combination of flexible water-impervious sheet material normally secured by flexible waterproof sealing to form a exible water-impervious pocket, with a waterpervious receptacle containing a Water-soluble coloring substance, a flexible tether connecting said receptacle to the interior of said pocket, said receptacle and said tether being normally enclosed and sealed within said pocket, and a pull tab means whereby the waterproof sealing may be broken sufficiently to free said receptacle from said pocket.

5. A dye marker, adapted to be attached to a carrier comprising the combination of a exible waterproof pocket, formed from two pieces of flexible water-impervious sheet material by securing the edges thereof in a flexible waterproof seal, with a water-pervious receptacle containing a Water-soluble coloring substance, a flexible tether connecting said receptacle to the interior of said pocket, said receptacle and said tether being normally enclosed and sealed within said pocket, and a pull tab means whereby said waterproof sealing may be broken suiciently to free said receptacle from said pocket.

ROBERT COLLYER. ALLAN B. CLOW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,960,149 Gilot May 22, 1934 1,922,085 Gouday Aug. 15, 1933 1,992,152 Yeates Feb. 19, 1935 1,987,545 Alexander Jan. 8, 1935 1,975,253 Connolly Oct. 2, 1934 1,108,756 Himle Aug. 25, 1914 1,021,176 Baker Mar. 26, 1912 1,131,227 Frid Mar. 9, 1915 1,200,616 Hudson et al Oct. 10, 1916 693,996 Brand Feb. 25, 1902 1,292,587 Del Re Jan. 28, 1919 1,436,854 Brady Nov. 28, 1922 1,618,088 Hinricks 1 Feb. 15, 1927 2,306,001 Struhl Dec. 22, 1942 2,281,473 Brewer Apr. 28, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 393,199 British June 1. 1933 OTHER REFERENCES Science News Letter," August 22, 1942. Flying C. A. A, Library, September 1942, 

